chelsea headingThis time of year always tries to bring out the best in all of us. We are urged to give as much as possible and help others as much as possible. That is a good thing and it should happen. Being a retired Oklahoma school teacher, it is difficult to help ours but we do what we can. However, I have been made of a secret and, only if you promise not to tell where you heard it, I shall pass on to you.
Those people and institutions who need help at Christmas also need help all year ‘round. No, really! Yes, there are special cases of some mis-fortune which happened very recently, but most of those hungry kids don’t have enough to eat in April or May or September. If it wasn’t for the school lunch program, many of them would not eat a full meal any day. No, not just once in awhile, but any day.
Yessir, I have been in discussions where a person who is totally unaware of how kids suffer makes statements which do not help the situation. Almost every time they say: “That’s their parent’s job! I ain’t gonna get them dependent on me giving them what their family should.” I left out the adjectives which are usually inserted, but you can add them if you wish.
First, these are kids and they are hungry, cold, abused or too many “what-evers.” If the parents did their job, we would have no reason for this conversation. There are just not a great many jobs for a fourth grade kid. Many fifth grade kids cannot even lift a 80 pound sack of anything. Unfortunately there are not many ditches to be dug anymore as big machines have taken over.
Last thing: I shall never forget, or I hope I never forget, a fourth grade student of mine and I were discussion her assignment. During this, she related she had not eaten from Friday lunch until school breakfast that Monday morning. That was about 1980-83 or sometime in between. By using my calculator I can see that she is now a well grown woman. I hope she has children of her own she can love.
WOW! I do not get off on these rants but thinking of all the neglected children started my pore ol’ brain achurnin’ this morning. Listening to Christmas music while writing to you guys has touched the Preston Cook part of me.
Our USA Thanksgiving Day celebration happened while we were away. Sincerely I hope you Yanks had a wonderful celebration and many blessings. The entire Cook clan was here but three who could not avoid being absent. They were sorely missed but it couldn’t be helped. I won’t even mention the one who has moved way up the west coast to start her own life and didn’t sell her car to pay for plane tickets to come see me. I shall not say anything about she is too young to go off and leave me. Not a word.
We will get together as we can during the Christmas season and “HO, HO, HO” together. But - Bunny Cake Day has already been announced and the date given. Like Thanksgiving, Labor Day and Fourth of July, the dates change as the calendar changes. You can look up the exact date by going to the Saturday one week before Easter 2018. That is the official day for Bunny Cake Day this coming spring. Yes, just as has happened to Christmas and Thanksgiving, many stores will not close that day so you can get all the supplies you forgot to get ahead of time.
But the Christmas season has just gotten better for this old grandfather. An announcement was just made at my door that our almost for-year-old will be here for much of the day. This is the boy who threw his arms around Pop (or as much as he could) and said, “I like those rough hugs.” He and I have what we call a “Pop hug” that no-one else can do. Wellllll, maybe only four or six more.
Enjoy this season and make good memories. See you next week.